School Bids Farewell to Three Long-Standing Faculty Members
Jerry Newman
Newman
Faculty, staff, alumni and friends said a warm goodbye to Jerry Newman, who concluded a 39-year tenure with the school upon his retirement in May. Newman is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor, the highest faculty rank in the State University of New York system and an order above full professorship. The title is granted to faculty members whose pedagogical accomplishments are extraordinary.
An expert in human resource management, with particular emphasis on compensation and rewards, Newman is author of My Secret Life on the McJob, a Wall Street Journal Book of the Year in 2007, and co-author of the text, Compensation, chosen best in class through 29 years and 11 editions. His expertise has garnered national and international media attention and he has been interviewed by hundreds of outlets, including Financial Times, Businessweek, Advertising Age and the Neil Cavuto show.
He also is author of more than 100 articles on compensation and rewards, performance management and other human resource issues and has worked as a consultant with such companies as Cummins Engine, AT&T, Graphic Controls, Hewlett-Packard, RJR Nabisco, Sorrento Cheese, McDonald's, Burger King and A&W Root Beer (Canada).
Newman leaves behind an exemplary record of service to the school, including eight years as chair of the Organization and Human Resources Department, 11 years as Undergraduate Program chair, director of the school's Center for Team Performance and a one-year term as interim dean.
A recipient of nine teaching awards, including the prestigious SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching, Newman primarily taught MBA courses in human resources, compensation and presentation skills.
Newman is considered the visionary for LeaderCORE, the school's innovative, competency-based leadership certification program for MBA students.
"Jerry has inspired an entire generation, maybe two, of human resource professionals," said Katherine Ferguson, associate dean of academic programs. "And many of them feel a strong connection to the school thanks to the deep bond they have with Jerry."
Dean Arjang Assad praised Newman for the positive impact he has had on the school. "In addition to his impressive contributions to teaching excellence and scholarship, Jerry has been a wonderful advocate for the school externally. Few faculty members have been as helpful to me in elevating the visibility and creating that strong link to practice," he said. "I am very grateful for his lifetime contributions."
Ray Orrange
Orrange
Ray Orrange, associate professor of organization and human resources, concluded an illustrious career spanning more than 27 years with UB. He served on the School of Management faculty since 1992, and principally taught spreadsheet technology and statistics. Like any good statistician, Orrange has estimated the number of students he has taught over the course of his tenure-a staggering 30,000. Really!
He is a recipient of the Milton Plesur Award for Excellence in Teaching, the School of Management's Outstanding Contribution to Teaching award and the Carl Naish Award for excellence in teaching and dedication to Millard Fillmore College students.
Prior to his faculty role, Orrange served UB as associate registrar and later as director of Campus Parking and Transportation Services. From 1987 to 1997, he was the statistician for the Buffalo Sabres home game telecasts.
A group of Orrange's teaching assistants (past and present) threw him a farewell party, with help from the School of Management. Here's what some of them had to say about him:
"Ray was a great professor who was able to capture the students' attention with a balance of intelligence and humor. I am glad to have had him as one of my mentors."
Amanda Harris '11, MBA '13
"I always appreciated the guidance Ray provided along with the autonomy to learn and grow. He was always there with a kind word or, perhaps, more often, a sarcastic remark that made any situation seem not quite so terrible. As a manager, educator and friend, Ray Orrange will always hold a special place in my heart."
Sarah Oliver, BS/MBA '10
"Ray instilled a sense of discipline and responsibility that had a positive impact on my life and the lives of many of his students."
Anthony LaRosa '10, MBA '12
"Ray's great sense of humor coupled with his strong teaching ability will be missed at the School of Management. He was able to convey statistics in a way that his students could understand. The many skills I've learned from him have already proven to be useful in my professional career."
Nick Notarius, BS/MBA '13
Orrange, and his wife, Mary Beth, are also active supporters of Dreams from the Heart Camp, which provides a summer camp experience for kids with congenital heart disease.
William Hamlen Jr.
Hamlen
William Hamlen Jr., associate professor of finance and managerial economics, also retired in May after 40 years with the School of Management.
Hamlen mainly taught economics to undergraduates and MBAs, and his research included studies on the economics of superstardom, specifically how increases in ability lead to greater than proportional increases in pay. Hamlen also has published research on the economics of revenue sharing in the National Football League.
In addition to serving as chair of the Undergraduate Program committee from 1995 to 2001, Hamlen has been a resource to local media for his economics expertise.
At a retirement luncheon in his honor, Dean Arjang Assad, Professor Larry Sanders and others shared stories of Hamlen's teaching, research and his easygoing yet forthright personality. The most common recollections, however, were of Hamlen's talents as a guitar player, singer and composer, from his popping in a tape of one of his recordings to demonstrate a hypothesis that high pitched voices were the secret to popular music success to his performance at the faculty talent show.
Kee Chung, chair of the Finance and Managerial Economics Department, was traveling the day of the reception, but sent in a written note that Dean Assad read on his behalf. After recounting several anecdotes about his experiences working with Hamlen, Chung summarized: "Bill has been a wonderful colleague and has contributed immensely to the FAME department with his exceptional character. We valued his judgment and opinion when making many critical departmental decisions because we trusted his integrity, conscientiousness and sense of fairness." He then thanked Hamlen for his invaluable contributions, "which helped shape our department into what it is today."
Multimedia bonus: If you're interested in hearing Bill play guitar and sing some of his original songs, visit his music Web page at www.reverbnation.com/billhamlen.
